COUNTY kept up their pre-season winning habits thanks to second-half goals from substitutes Matt Hamshaw and Jermaine Easter, writes GUY NELSON.
A third victory in a week delighted boss Chris Turner, who said: "Stoke are two divisions above us, and the players should take a lot out of this.
"We are assembling a squad that could surprise a few people when the season begins."
Turner's men fell behind in the 17th minute when the defence failed to deal with a Lewis Neal cross, which allowed Bruce Dyer to score at the far post.
But County bounced back in the second half. A Danny Boshell free kick forced a fingertip save from Ed de Goey before the home side equalised in controversial fashion.
Tes Bramble was fouled on the edge of the area in the 65th minute and Hamshaw took a quick free kick that slipped through the Stoke wall while it was still being assembled.
Easter had only just been introduced when he raced through a Stoke defence in disarray to fire home County's 75th-minute winner.
How do you think County will fare this season? Have your say.
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If last night is anything to go by then we should do well.
I think that County will do a lot better this season now that they are not owned by cheshire sport. Chris turner will be a successful manager at this club and is determined to turn things around with the quality signings he has made..?
Let's not get too caried away by these pre-season wins, valuable though they are in many respects.
This new bunch of players need to grow together and gel as a team. There is every hope that they will do so and I expect this to be showing by January at the latest.
If they finish the season in the top half of the table they and the manager will have done well.
I do find some peoples comments laughable. It was Cheshire Sport who appointed Turner so DJBs comments are cloaked in ambiguity at best. The improvement will have come with the dismissal of McIlroy, surely the worst manager to have sat in the Stockport hot seat and by heck there's been competition for that mantle (Melia, Palmer, Kilner et al) and replacing him with a guy who seems to have some idea how to manage a football club. This was surely summed up by the news that another of McIlroy's 'mighty midgets' had left the club and the money freed up by not having to pay this guys wages could result in three new signings!!!! Add to that the fact that SM paid B#70k for the guy!! Mr McIlroy, were you really that bad or were you just in it for the laughs?